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While Donald Trump has been a frequenter of Palm Beach County so far as president, his second-in-command made his first trip this weekend.

Vice President Mike Pence had two planned stops on Floridas east coast: one in Jacksonville and one in Palm Beach.

But the Florida coastal journey was not a leisurely beach trip.

Pences visit came as part of a campaign to evangelize for a Republican-led health care plan to replace former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Before Pence joined Trump in South Florida, he and Gov. Rick Scott met with business owners in Jacksonville on Saturday to discuss the GOP bill. After, Pence was set to speak at a dinner at The Breakers hosted by Club for Growth, a pro-free market lobbying organization that has pushed against Obamacare.

Meanwhile, the president began the day in South Florida tweeting. His first came at 9:15 a.m., criticizing the "fake news" around his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Trump then continued to say Germany owes "vast sums of money" to both the United Nations and NATO.

Trump then headed to his Trump International Golf Course, having meetings and taking phone calls before returning to Mar-a-Lago for an intelligence briefing and a phone call with Brazils President Michel Temer.

He met Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter before a planned dinner with Perlmutter, his wife, Laurie, first lady Melania Trump, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Trump invited Pence to join him and his guests at Mar-a-Lago for dessert after Pences speech in Palm Beach.

Jim Litchell, a lifelong West Palm Beach resident, said he has enjoyed presidential visits, but is worried about the security costs and traffic congestion from White House stops.

It costs all this money and it hurts the county, Litchell said.

Pence is also scheduled to attend a worship service Sunday morning at Church by the Glades in Coral Springs before heading back to the nations capital, according to his official schedule.

But not everyone was welcoming to the countrys top two executives being in South Florida.

A few miles from Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club at a county Democratic Party fundraiser, ranking member of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he has concerns about the visits to South Florida.

The president obviously spends a lot of time here and Im sure if the vice president wants face time with him, hes going to have to come down here from time to time, Schiff told the Sun Sentinel after the fundraiser. It will probably compound the traffic and other problems for people living here.

Joined by U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat from Boca Raton, Schiff also said he was deeply disturbed by Trumps recent reiteration of claims he was wiretapped by Obama during his campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Aric Chokey: achokey@sun-sentinel.com, 561-243-6531, Twitter: @aric_chokey

Visit our Boca Raton community page at facebook.com/SunSentinelBocaRaton.

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Vice President Mike Pence makes his South Florida debut - Sun Sentinel

Ahead of a key vote on Capitol Hill, Vice President Mike Pence called on skeptical Republicans to get behind the GOP health care bill in remarks to conservative donors and members of Congress Saturday night.

Speaking at the Club for Growth's dinner at the Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Pence said the new Republican plan represented "the kinds of solutions conservatives have been talking about for years," and promised to work with lawmakers to improve the legislation.

"Let me be blunt, we need your help," he said to conservatives of the American Health Care Act, which the House is expected to take up on Thursday.

He addressed a crowd of roughly 140 people, including Reps. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, and Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus that have called for substantial changes to the American Health Care Act before they can support it on Capitol Hill.

"I know there have been concerns," Pence said. "Just know the president and I and the entire administration are listening."

Earlier in the day, Pence, joined by Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott, met with small business owners about Obamacare and the Republican plan to repeal and replace the law at Mac Papers Envelope Converters in Jacksonville.

On Friday, President Trump met with members of the Republican Study Committee, a large and influential group of House Republicans, and agreed to adjust the health care proposal to allow states to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients and change the way the federal government transmits Medicaid payments to the states.

Still, members of the Freedom Caucus are pushing for additional changes to address premiums and adjust the proposal's refundable tax credits that would help people pay for insurance.

They also want to phase out the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion before 2020, which moderate Republicans consider a non-starter.

Pence also said the White House would follow through on tax reform and work to roll back Dodd-Frank financial regulations.

While Pence has longstanding ties to the Club for Growth, the free-market advocacy group initially opposed the proposed health care legislation, and was also critical of Trump during the presidential campaign.

On Saturday, Pence argued that the organization and the White House share the same goals.

"We have a pro-growth House, a pro-growth Senate and a pro-growth president of the United States of America," he said.

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VP Mike Pence calls on conservatives to support GOP health care bill - ABC News

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One of Vice President Mike Pences top political advisers is a major investor in the Independent Journal Review, a social media-minded news outlet geared toward young conservatives.

Nick Ayers, Pences top strategist outside of the White House, confirmed to BuzzFeed News that he owns part of IJR. He is also playing a major role in America First Priorities, a political group launched by Trump campaign advisers to trumpet the presidents message. He joined Trumps campaign when Pence was tapped as the vice presidential nominee and later acted as a senior advisor for the vice president-elect during the transition. Ayers previously worked as a political consultant and as campaign manager for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlentys presidential bid in 2012.

Theres no indication that Ayers was involved in this weeks controversial State Department decision to grant the sole press spot on Secretary of State Rex Tillersons trip to Asia to IJRs White House correspondent. The move, a break from tradition, has enraged the State Department press corps as Tillerson makes big diplomatic news without a traditional pooler tagging along.

Ayers investment in IJR is another example of close ties between Trumps orbit and a favored media outlet. Steve Bannon, the presidents top strategist, ran Breitbart News for years and has brought with him to the administration a handful of ex-Breitbart staffers. The company has said that it no longer has financial and editorial ties to Bannon. Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner transferred his ownership of The New York Observer to a family trust.

Theres no sign that Ayers has had any editorial involvement with his investment, and a person involved in the company noted that IJR notably didnt benefit from insider leaks during the campaign.

The revelation of Ayerss investment comes as a series of recent IJR stories attracted wider attention. An IJR reporter had dinner near the president at DCs Trump Hotel based on a tip from a source. The site scooped the national media when it first reported that Neil Gorsuch would be Trumps Supreme Court nominee.

IJR also faced criticism for a story posted Thursday spreading a conspiracy theory that Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Hawaii to sway a judge there to block Trumps revised travel ban executive order. IJR later retracted the article and posted an editors note apologizing. The publications congressional reporter resigned Thursday over disagreements with IJRs direction.

IJR was founded in 2012 by Alex Skatell, who previously met Ayers when he worked in Republican politics, and Phil Musser, a former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

The site has found success in fashioning viral right-leaning web content geared for heartland news consumers, like funny GOP candidate videos (Sen. Ted Cruz fired a gun wrapped in bacon, for instance). IJR has also sought to ramp up its reporting chops, hiring journalists from mainstream outlets and co-sponsoring a GOP debate with ABC.

This week, IJRs reporting push came at the expense other political news outlets. BuzzFeed News first reported that Erin McPike, IJRs White House correspondent, was the sole journalist selected for a spot on Tillersons trip. We dont take this opportunity lightly and recognize the controversy surrounding press access for the trip, Skatell said in a statement at the time.

McPikes selection became the subject of a heated State Department press briefing on Wednesday. Can you explain why, once a seat was identified on that plane that was available, the decision was made rather than to allow the press to send a pooler who would share information and actually allow us to work around not being there personally, the decision instead was made to handpick a conservative outlet to accompany the secretary and not to share that information? one reporter asked State Department spokesperson Mark Toner, according to a transcript.

In this specific trip and instance, it was decided to take to make an outside-the-box, if I could put it that way, decision to bring somebody in who doesnt necessarily cover the State Department, a media outlet that isnt steeped in foreign policy and give it a new, fresh perspective, Toner said.

On Friday, reporters complained on Twitter that McPike had not filed a piece yet, even though Tillerson made newsmaking comments about North Korea and decided cut his trip to South Korea short. While external advice is noted, Im working on a longer piece per explicit instructions from my supervisor, and I always have been, McPike tweeted. Skatell tweeted that he is to be blamed for McPikes silence: View is a series of tweets not best medium to convey a long form piece.

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A Top Adviser To Mike Pence Is An Investor In Favored Media Outlet - BuzzFeed News

US Vice President Mike Pence had an extraordinary speech about how he stood on the inauguration stand in January thinking about his Irish heritage - but it was a picture of Hillary Clinton that earned the biggest cheer on the night.

In an extraordinary and almost emotional speech, Mr Pence said: "All the I am, all that I will ever be and all the service that I will ever give is owed to my Irish heritage.

"As I serve the people of this country I will do so with the faith, the determination, the cheerfulness, the humility and the humour that is characteristic of the great people of the Emerald Isle."

Donald Trump's number two is the grandson of Richard Michael Cawley who emigrated from Tubbercurry, Co Sligo in 1923 to become a bus driver in Chicago.

He told The Ireland Fund dinner in Washington last night that people regularly ask him what went through his head as he was sworn in as the Vice President.

"I just keep thinking of that day in April 1923 when Richard Michael Cawley stepped off the boat in Ellis Island.

"I can't imagine what the sight of the statue of liberty meant to him that day. The torch of freedom," he said.

But it was a photograph of US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that earned the biggest cheer of the night.

Ireland Funds ran a montage of all the dinner's previous honourees and the photograph of Mrs Clinton sparked a massive applause, as Mike Pence watched on.

In front of 700 guests including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the controversial politician had described his family as "a small part" of the story connecting Ireland and the United States.

"As I stood on that inaugural stage I just kept thinking of that Irishman. I kept thinking of what he would be thinking about looking down.

"One, knowing me as well as he did, he'd be extremely surprised," Mr Pence said to laughter.

"And two, I have to think he just thought he was right. He was right about America. He was right to summon the courage as generations did before and since to come here and follow their dreams."

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He was presented with a special award by The Ireland Fund and a copy of the Tubbercurry National School enrolment book that contained his grandfather's name.

"The truth is that whatever I honour I receive over the course of my time as Vice Present, to receive an honour in the name of the Irish people and my Irish heritage will count as chief among them," Mr Pence said.

His sisters, Annie and Mary, attended the lavish event in Washington's Museum Building, while his mother who had been due to travel was unable to due to the storm sweeping the east coast of America.

During a 15 minute speech, Mr Pence also spoke about his visits to Doonbeg, Co Clare where he has relatives.

He also told the gathering that he was able to bring "greetings from my friend, the leader of the free world".

Mr Pence said Donald Trump knew of the contribution the Irish have made to America.

"Irish immigrants and their descendants have been proud patriots," he said, adding that the Irish were among "the strongest and most vibrant threads of our national fabric".

Mr Pence praised the Irish economic recovery and said the success was "a testament" to the "strong" leadership of Enda Kenny over the past six years.

"Many leaders around the world would do well to emulate your leadership," he told the Taoiseach.

In his speech Mr Kenny said: "The Vice President has joined the distinguished list of Irish Americans who have occupied the highest political offices in the United States.

"We take special pride in the fact that, for the first time in the history of this great republic, one Irish American has succeeded another in the office of Vice President."

Online Editors

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Mike Pence tried with extraordinary speech about Irish heritage - but Hillary Clinton wins the biggest cheer of the ... - Irish Independent

New York Times

'I Am an American Because of Him': The Journey of Pence's Irish ... New York Times It is difficult not to view the experience of Richard Michael Cawley, who came to the United States nearly a century ago, through the prism of current events. America is about diversity, George Mitchell warns Mike Pence | Irish ...Irish Examiner Irish Reception underway at the White House: VP Mike Pence opens with a storyYC A comment by US Vice President Mike Pence about Irish people on Twitter did not go down wellJOE Irish Mirror all 9 news articles »

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'I Am an American Because of Him': The Journey of Pence's Irish ... - New York Times